Eiyuu no Musume
by murkywater
Summary: just made this so I could read it in the fanfiction app rated m just to be safe
1. The Beginning of the End

With tears and snot covering her face, the little elf child shouted.

"Don't die!"

With both of her small hands, similar in size to Japanese maple leaves, she repeatedly pressed against the chest of the fallen young man.

The condition of the young man was extremely severe. With some internal organs protruding from the gaping laceration in his abdomen, blood flowed endlessly.

At last, the little elf's effort paid off; the pressure that she gave had successfully helped the youth regain his consciousness. However, with his current condition, not much life remained.

Despite which, the little elf was determined to preserve the youth's life even for a little bit by stopping the bleeding with her hands.

"Please, don't die…Reid-sama!" said the little elf.

While still lying down, the youth then tried to wipe the tears from the little elf's face with his left hand; but it was hopeless, his left arm was broken during the fight. So he wiped the tears away with his able right hand. The tears on her face were instead clumsily replaced with smears of blood. This blood was not just from the youth alone, but also from the enemy.

To the side of the youth, remained the corpse of the demon he had just single handedly defeated. On his other side, were the children who had barely escaped from the sacrificial ritual. Most of them were catatonic, unable to stand. Among them, only the little elf girl had acted and ran towards the young man to give him first aid.

And, if the sacrificial ritual hadn't been stopped, all of those children would've eventually died. Not far away from the direction of the saved children, there were several breathless children that were too late to be saved from the sacrificial ritual. Near the deceased children there was a lifeless priest; the Father of the church. Surprisingly contrary to his profession, the main cause of the incident occurred because of that priest. Yes, the instigator of the sacrificial ritual was the priest himself.

"Please…don't…cry… I'm…still…fine," said the youth, even though he wasn't fine at all. In fact, the youth also knew his own condition; even he was already prepared to face his own death. That's why there was no reason to say "I'm still fine". However, he still said it.

His comrade who was always by his side was no longer within sight. His companion was both a girl and a Sage who held the position of Strategist within the heroes' party. Her strategies were always effective.

Even though she was a Sage, she wasn't particularly good at magic.

Nevertheless, she was still better at it compared to ordinary people. Even if she had stayed with him, her abilities couldn't assist the youth's fight against the daemon.

As such, he had ordered her to leave from that place to call for reinforcements that would have the capabilities to assist the youth.

"I 'm…still…fine… That's…why…it's…okay…"

I squeezed out the effort to spit out blood—but, I have to comfort this little girl.

It seems I'm about to die. I bet everything on one possibility, and I ordered my comrade to leave from this place to call for reinforcements. Undoubtedly, this time she couldn't make it in time.

When I die, no doubt, I will definitely leave those children and this little girl in this place, alone. That's why, at least, I want to reassure this little girl.

"I…won't…die…for…sure…"

Those were words that couldn't be fulfilled by the youth.

Shortly after the youth said those words, he, Reid, one of the six heroes, better known as the Shadow Feather, died.


	2. The Beginning of the End (PT 2)

It's both bright and also dark in this strange place that I'm currently in.

In this place, my field of vision is filled with colours that I can't recognise as either white or black, and it isn't grey either. I also can't distinguish between the top and bottom of this place.

I'd been an Assassin for many years. In my last years, I spent my everyday life adventuring along with the other heroes. My job in the heroes' party was as a Scout, and I was extremely good at my job.

Even with my perception, I still can't grasp this situation at all.

"Hello~"

"Who is it!?"

Suddenly, I heard a lazy voice.

I couldn't tell whose voice it was or where it came from, however the voice's owner had appeared right before my eyes.

As if pushing its way through the white and black clouds, it revealed itself as the silhouette of a small person.

Although it's standing in front of me, I still can't feel its presence at all.

No, on the contrary, I can only understand that it's a woman, but I can't recognise her face at all.

I can now see her face: Silver hair, red eyes, and beautiful white skin. Even with those characteristics, I still can't recognise who she is.

"Who are you?"

"Me? I am a god."

She introduced herself as a god. With such a contemptible voice, I really cannot feel her dignity.

No, I don't remember the nature of her voice. Although I can only understand that her voice is beautiful, it doesn't leave any impression in my memory.

"What does this mean? Why can't I remember…?"

"Ah, that? That is happening because of me. Because I am a god, somehow. When you looked directly at me, you lost your sanity, right?"

"Sanity… What?"

"No~, you do not need to worry about that. In other words, you can think that I am inhibiting your recognition senses in such a manner."

"Is this space too…?"

"Of course, yes."

So, this being before me; this existence who has introduced herself as a god, is affecting my ability to recall.

Normally, I wouldn't believe the vague words she said, but for some reason, I decided to believe her.

After all, I was in the edge of death.

So, it isn't strange to meet a god after death, is it?

"There's no doubt that I'm dead, is there?"

"Well, no. Without doubt, you are definitely, completely, none other than perfectly, dead!"

"Perhaps, I didn't want that affirmation."

My former comrade, Maria, who is proficient in healing magic, is able to heal and recover every wound and injury unless the wounded or injured perishes.

However, resurrection of the dead is designated as a prohibited technique, and that technique is still sealed hitherto.

I remember, it is said that souls are always meant to be circulating. And the doctrine doesn't permit anything in this world to stop the cycle artificially.

Moreover, Maria does not know the method to perform this technique. This leads me to the inevitable conclusion that my revival would be impossible.

"I see, that means I will be returned to the circulation of souls."

"Well, you can think of it in that way, too."

While singing merrily, the god danced, whirling whirling.

Her prevarication had left me feeling that her very words possessed some deeper meaning.

"I don't understand. Are you saying that there is some way for the dead to be resurrected?"

"As a matter of fact, resurrection is impossible. However, that does not mean there is no alternative to it. You have such an excellent comrade there."

"Huh?"

The god then puts her hands to her mouth and laughs, "Mufufu". How unpleasant of her to laugh at my confusion.

"No, it is nothing. But do let me say one thing."

"What is it?"

"Welcome to a New Horizon! Let us welcome it magnificently!"

"Haah?"

I'm lost for words with how much of a crazy god she is. I really want to punch her hard.

Subsequent to my retort, dizziness struck me and my eyes' vision became darker and darker.

I don't know whether I'm standing or sitting, but my field of vision is now completely like a marble pattern; like the pattern of milk that has been poured into a cup of tea.

"Wh, what?"

"It seems that the technique will start soon. Oh,Oh, I do enjoy using loopholes like this secret path."

"My body, what the heck is this?"

"You are about to go back to your original world. Well, I have interfered with the success rate just a little bit though."

"So–"

"Ah, speaking about interference, giving you a bonus seems fitting."

The self-proclaimed god still persisted with her ambiguous jabber.

It was as if my consciousness was abruptly stopped with a snap, and I sank into the darkness.


	3. The Beginning of the End (PT 3)

There was once a crisis that befell the world.

In that world, there were nine kingdoms in one continent. With their exquisite military balance, they, the nine kingdoms, had built the world in a transitory peace. It was only ten years ago that the peace collapsed.

It was around that time that the evil dragon appeared in the frigid lands of the North. The evil dragon that alighted upon one northern kingdom was named, Colchis, and feared by all. As if it were reaping the ear of a rice plant, the dragon had eaten and scattered the people with ease; driving the kingdom to the brink of destruction. At that conjuncture, several kingdoms joined forces and raised an army to subjugate the evil dragon.

However, on prairie the evil dragon was an invincible being. Its black-luster scales were much harder than steel making the evil dragon impenetrable by the bolts of ballistae. From an altitude that neither swords nor spears could reach, the evil dragon could disembogue a red-hot breath that could melt their steel weaponry and cremate the people in an instant.

The war against it had concluded too one-sidedly with the destruction of the joint kingdom alliance. On the other hand, the evil dragon was furious with the result. Humans, its food and toys, had bared their fangs at it. This was unforgivable.

Without languor the evil dragon had immediately reached the kingdom's capital, incinerating the castle together with all of the statespersons. Unsatiated, it had even spread its wings to the neighbouring countries, devastating all settlements that met its sight.

As a result of this event, three northern kingdoms had crumbled in the blink of an eye. Following their downfall, the remaining six kingdoms had no choice but to accept that the world was in a crisis.

However, there was nothing they could do. Even with a large army, they could not leave a single scratch on the evil dragon's body. Then how could they possibly subjugate the evil dragon? Furthermore, if they failed to slay the dragon, it would burn down all of the kingdoms in retaliation.

If they all mobilised their armed forces for another joint army, there would be a reprisal. That is to say, without their armies, the fighting power protecting each kingdom would be insufficient. The kingdoms' leaders who were concerned with this dilemma had finally found a solution.

They selected a single person who possessed the greatest fighting power from each kingdom. These six individuals were to be inserted into an independent, wandering squad that had no ties to the kingdoms but possessed the purpose of slaying the evil dragon. In the hopes that the dragon would not see an independent squad as an act of war against it, the kingdoms could place their faith in the six and fortify their own kingdoms with what little respite they had bought.

In stagnating their own main armed forces, they had believed that the small squad could act in secret, gaining the element of surprise. The shortcoming of a smaller number could be compensated if the team fought within the cave that the dragon claimed as its lair. They, the kingdoms, had considered that it would be easier to deal with the evil dragon inside the cave, because it could not fly to the sky if it was within the cave.

Thus, six heroes were chosen from each kingdom.

From one of the six kingdoms, a human hero who held a holy sword—Lyell;

From one of the six kingdoms, a dwarven warrior who held a sacred shield—Gadols1;

From one of the six kingdoms, an elf who mastered every magic—Maxwell;

From one of the six kingdoms, a human saint who could heal and recover every wound and injury unless the wounded or injured perishes—Maria;

From one of the six kingdoms, a werecat sage the people claim to have made a thousand lives scatter within a single month—Cortina;

From one of the six kingdoms, a half-demon assassin who was infamously known as "Shadow Feather" —Reid.

In alignment with the expectations of the persons in authority, after fighting a fierce battle, they, the heroes of the squad, subjugated the evil dragon, Colchis. Without losing a single member, their unprecedented achievements were beyond expectation; to such an extent that their home countries didn't know what to do with them.

Lyell and Gadols's reputations had shaken the throne, and Maria and Cortina's popularities surpassed the influence of the pope and persons in authority at the time. All of the six heroes' positions were uncontrollable. Because of which, the persons in authority feared the heroes' vengeance. And above all else, the assassinations by Reid…

Among the six heroes, Hero Reid was a heterogeneous existence. Despite being an assassin, he was not wicked. He, who fought and killed according to his justice, was forever feared. His criteria for good and evil were always based on his own sense of justice, and that drew the line between Reid and the persons in authority.

Originally, such reckless emotional traits and racial attributes would have prevented his admission into the squad, however his fighting power was recognised—and the world was at a time of war. Thus, he was selected as a hero—it could even be said that he was chosen as a trump card for humanity.

In the end, the six heroes were expelled from their home kingdoms under the pretext of it being for sake of the restoration of the ruined three kingdoms. Although it was an event that was designated to them, the Sage, Cortina, had already predicted the scenario in advance.

Of course, in order to assuage the heroes' spirit of rebellion against the kingdoms, each country had issued rewards to them. Each hero tacitly knew the true intentions of the persons in authority. Without daring to utter that, they had quietly stayed in a remote region.

They were not interested in power; they just wanted to spend the rest of their lives peacefully without being involved in the political struggle.

Regardless, the final moments of their camaraderie would inevitably arrive.

It began with the marriage between Lyell and Maria. The party had dissolved as the result of their marriage. There were no problems with regards to their union, but it marked a turning point for all of them. Afterwards, it had arisen.

They, who possessed outstanding skills, could not adapt themselves to other adventurers, because their strengths were too much for the other adventurers. Moreover, Gadols fulfilled his dream of having his own shop and retired. Nearly all of the party's main force retired. Even Maxwell had already returned to his home kingdom and recurred as an educator, apart from national affairs. Only Reid and Cortina, who had nowhere to go, continued on as adventurers.

Soon after, there was an incident where Reid had to fight against the daemon alone, and lost his life that day. The reinforcements did not make it in time, and Cortina who was left alone also retired in despair. Maxwell then settled down from teaching at his newly founded Magical Academy as its board chairman. In other words, all of the heroes had left the limelight.

And then time passed… Ten years later.


	4. Reincarnation of the Hero

Dark. From within this pitch-black darkness… I slowly awaken.

Wake up…? I thought I had already woken up.

My opened eyes haven't received any images at all; the world has been blurred and distorted since I opened them. In addition to this my feet and hands won't respond to me at all; as if I don't have the strength to move them. No, it's not just my feet and hands. My neck too… My whole body—I'm completely unable to move my whole body.

Come to think of it, it's no wonder: My condition before losing consciousness was seriously terrible. The Father of the orphanage had christened demon summoning, and had successfully done so at the expense of the lives of several children. However, because of our intervention the priest didn't accomplish his purpose and was slain by me. That was good, but the demon was free from losing its summoner and I couldn't leave it as it was. Because at the time, the children were too afraid to act and Cortina had no knowledge of Close Quarters Battle were behind me—I had no choice but to fight.

In a moments judgment I ordered Cortina to run away—to bring back our comrades—and I faced that demon alone. She had also grasped the situation and acted swiftly, saying she would surely bring aid. No, I made her leave. She was powerless, and it was difficult to escape while carrying the children. Only about ten children had survived.

I could just barely subjugate the demon, but I had broken my left hand and right leg, and had also received a gaping wound across my chest to my abdomen. In that condition, just being able to breathe was a good bargain.

According to the self-proclaimed god's words, I should have returned to this world again, but…my voice won't come out and my limbs can't move either.

…What happened!?

"Fugyaaaaaaa!?"

Even though it was unintelligible, an odd scream like the cry of a kitten could be raised. I could feel my face being wiped by something warm and something soft was pressed against my mouth. I instinctively sucked it and swallowed something sweet from it. And when my stomach became full, I sank into sleep again.

I could finally grasp what happened several days later. I…was born again as a baby: the secret path that the god had mentioned. In other words, because resurrecting the dead is considered taboo, being reborn as a newborn baby is acceptable, huh. I wonder…

Moreover, I noticed that my eyesight had stabilised…

"Good morning, Nicole. You woke up early today."

I woke up and quickly noticed that a neat, clean, and beautiful woman was bringing her exposed chest close to my mouth—Maria. Yes, she's my former comrade who's been called a saint. And, the one whom she called Nicole… was I. This meant I had been reborn as a child of my former comrades.

Reincarnation magic is the highest ranked sacred technique. However, with this magic, you cannot confirm whether the technique works or fails; only the designated person can confirm its success. Furthermore, you can't know where the designated person will be reincarnated. Anyhow, this magic is the sort of magic that has its subtle corollaries. In short, even Maria hasn't realised that her own child is the reincarnation of her former comrade, Reid.

That is why she is able to press her breasts against me, defenselessly. If Maria knew that I am Reid, it would hardly be possible for her to continue this action. If I screwed up, she would probably send me flying in one slap. Her sense of virtue was quite severe.

On one occasion, she sent me and Lyell flying with her magic attack called "Divine Punishment" when we tried to peek—I thought I would seriously die at the time. Besides, Cortina precisely held back our escape route, so we have experienced being easily captured. It was a thing called youthful indiscretion.

"Fugyoouuu."

I raised a groan and refused the meal.

It's because I don't yet have enough muscle to move my neck. I'm not brazen enough to suck my former comrade's breasts. Yet, no matter how many times I've sucked my former comrade's breasts, I still can't tough it out. Above all, I'm afraid of my true identity being discovered. I may die this time if that happens.

"Ugyuu. Fuaaaau."

"Ah, I wonder if your stomach is okay? You drank so little this time, Nicole. I'm a little worried."

After being reincarnated as a baby, I've not breastfed well. No, Maria is honestly an extremely beautiful woman, but, as expected, I feel ashamed to suck my former comrade's breasts while still having this consciousness.

If this woman was a perfect stranger, I would suck her breasts while feigning ignorance… However, I know this woman.

She's my former comrade whom I'd survived a life-and-death crisis alongside. And another thing is her husband is that Lyell. He is a man whom I fought together with; a rival, and a man who has embodied "the figure of a hero" in fairytales that I could never reach. How could I have the nerve to suck the breasts of this woman who is both my former comrade and the wife of my other former comrade? It is for that reason that I went on a hunger strike of my own accord.

As I didn't suck Maria's breasts, she had a lot of trouble bringing me up. I know what I'm doing to her is bad, but I cannot give in. After all, she's managed to support my life by giving me moderately warmed cow's milk. Today too, Maria fed me using a milk-soaked cotton cloth that she held in my mouth. Lyell's leg appeared.

"Good morning, Maria. And you too, Nicole."

He said so while embracing Maria who was holding me, and then they exchanged passionate kisses in this early morning. After which, he gave me the same kiss—on my cheek. It was disgusting.

"Fuaaaaauuuuu."

"Ah, did you get angry?" Maria asked, "I wonder if you dislike papa, Nicole?"

"Wh—Whaaat?"

Without ill will, Maria had voiced the cruel truth as I expressed my intention to resist to Lyell.

In fact, I didn't like Lyell. It's not as though I didn't long for a position called hero too. Rather, it can be said that I had a much stronger longing for it than any of us.

He was a strong and sturdy swordsman who was the representative of the heroes. It was precisely because I admired his strength that I sought for strength. However, I simply didn't have the qualities. My slender body didn't support much muscle, so I ended being swung backwards whenever I wielded a heavy weapon. Nevertheless, I couldn't give up. To compensate, I found a way of fighting that did not rely on swords, and I reluctantly built my own way of fighting with ingenuity and tricks. The result: surprise attacks that depended on steel strings and traps, and assassination techniques focusing on avoiding combat from the front as much as possible. Justice without power is no more than the weak's nonsense. I had the strength to save the weak. And I never lost because I taught myself a way of fighting that couldn't be conquered.

For me, Lyell who was the embodiment my ideal hero image, is a man who arouses my very delicate emotions. He was a partner I could rely on more than anyone else, a partner I longed for more than anyone else, and a partner I hated more than anyone else. Receiving a kiss on cheek from such a person, I felt a chill run down my spine.

Receiving the emotional blow, with a dejected face, Lyell went out to the garden for sword-practice-swinging. From the window, I could see his routine. His movement was strong, elegant, and sharp.

The hero I dreamt of was there. In my previous life, I lacked endurance and didn't have strength so I wasn't able to adopt the same way of fighting as him.

But now, I can feel something like an electric shock which makes my body tremble.

Oh, that's right; I'm Lyell and Maria's child now. In other words, I may inherit Lyell's strength and Maria's magical power. My present self may be able to become a swordsman. The existence who will guide me to that destination is right before my eyes.

I may be able to follow the path of a swordsman that I once aimed for but failed to reach. No, if I inherit Maria's magical power, the possibility of becoming a magical swordsman is also possible.

"Nyaauu!"

While expressing joy, I threw up both of my hands. Although, my current strength was too weak and I was barely able to bring my short arms before my view.

"Hey, Nicole…? I wonder if you like watching father's sword technique. You actually want to be spoiled by him, don't you?"

Misinterpreting my attitude, Maria poked my cheek. Speaking of which, she was the type of fellow to misunderstand.


	5. Reincarnation of the Hero (PT 2)

After my belly was filled with milk, I trained my muscles while lying down; I want to stand up with my own feet as soon as possible. I moved my short legs up and down, and swung my arms left, right, up and down. These were the only physical exercises I, who can't roll over, can do.

"Nicole, you're really energetic, aren't you? If you just fed more, I'd have peace of mind, but…"

Maria disciplines me… Actually, she's just on a rampage, poking my cheek while smiling. From her perspective, I guess I do look like an active baby.

Although, I'm different from ordinary babies; I receive nutrition from cow's milk. In other words, my diet is in a very unbalanced state. It also leads to lethargy. I succumb to overwork easily and eventually fall asleep as if I'd fainted.

Continuing to lead days everyday by training my muscles, finally, I became able to roll over and stir. Little by little I could creep with my hands and legs to my satisfaction. Then, in order to make my other dream reality, I'd decided it was time to take action.

My other dream: Magic.

Unfortunately, I had no magical talent at all in my previous life. I had studied under Maxwell who was an expert in magical arts, but he briefly drew the conclusion that I did not have the aptitude for magic—so I have experience in giving up learning magic.

However, I'm Maria's child now. Thus, there is a high possibility that I have magical talent. Maria has a good command over sacred techniques based on religious faith, but sacred techniques are still categorised as a form of magic.

I have never studied under Maria, but the knowledge which I learned from Maxwell still remains within my mind. If I closed my eyes and entered a meditative state, I could then explore the existence of the magical powers dwelling within myself. I could sense something like hot energy emanating from somewhere inside of my body; the area below my navel.

—Ooo, is this magical power?

Feeling this unknown sensation that I had once been unable to no matter how hard I tried, my tension rose on its own. To manifest magic, I have to release the magical power from my body, transform it into the shape of magic circle drawn in my mind, and then input a magic spell into the magic circle which should specify its power, range and anything else, but…I had a hard time manipulating the magical power.

I reached for the magical power in my abdomen and tried to shape it, but the magical power slipped from my grasp and vanished. However, I'm not about to give up just from this. To begin with, my tenacity to persevere was stronger than others. Since I am unable to move my body well, the only thing I could do was magic practice.

Unlike former times, now I can feel my magical power. At the very least, I should be able to manifest magic. And I'm living in a body which has the makings for wielding swords that should be handed down from Lyell in addition to the combat experience from my past life. After thinking about it, I have the qualities to become stronger than anyone so I could not simply stop my training here.

I received warmed milk from Maria. There was a very humiliating time when she replaced my diaper, and for around half a year, I held a grudge against that god again. On that day, I was able to hold my head steady and erect and began to look around at my surroundings. Putting my strength into my body, I was able elevate my torso and saw the lower half of my body for the first time. The thing that appeared from under the diaper which was cleaned by Maria's hands was—no, it was not lovely male genital organs at my age—it was like a plain; there was nothing there. No, there was a valley there.

In short, I am a girl now.

"Auuuuuuuuu!?"

"Kya! Nicole, what happened to you? Suddenly crying out."

Maria gazed at me, who had suddenly fallen into a state of panic, wearing a concerned expression. Although, there were no abnormalities with my body itself—no, for me, everything that had happened to me was full of abnormality, but to her it was nothing more than an ordinary sight.

Maria quickly changed my diaper, and I lay my face down, sobbing. The assassin who was once feared and was even called "Shadow Feather, the Disaster", "Spider That Lurks in Darkness", and others…has become a girl? What kind of joke was this!?

I, who was proficient in handling wire made of Mithril1 which was said to be sharper than sacred swords, and even killed the evil dragon, Colchis, was reborn a girl…

"Daauuuuuuuu."

"For some reason, I really don't understand, but…are you crying? I wonder…"

Maria comforted me by patting my back. It was the same as in my previous life, but now, her kindness makes me sad. Come to think of it, Nicole was a unisex name but this name was a common name for women. Am I so stupid for not noticing it until now? …No, also, there's no way I could've confirmed my own gender by myself under my present circumstances as a baby.

In other words, it was inevitable. For half a year, I was unaware of the fact that I was born a girl.

In my previous life I, born a man, was frustrated due to my inability to wield swords, and reached the pinnacle with a means of combat called Steel String Technique.

In my current life I, born a girl, have inherited blood from parents who are brimful of talents, and will probably receive special education from The Heroes.

It can be said that my completely reversed life began from this point.


	6. Reincarnation of the Hero (PT 3)

Shortly thereafter, I had finally begun to recover from the shock of knowing I was reborn as a girl.

_I'm a girl. My breasts are slightly bulging now; they will grow bigger, won't they?_

Partly forcing myself to believe that, I decided to resume my daily training. I would move my arms and legs to develop my muscles, and practise manipulating my magical power before I go to sleep. With regards to practising manipulation of my magical power, the results remain the same as ever: there is no response. However, Maxwell once pointed out that, "Rome2 wasn't built in a day." To begin with, at my present stage I must be head and shoulders above my previous life; when I wasn't able to feel magical power at all.

"Uuu~, dau~."

"Jeez, Nicole. Your eyes are still open. I'll be sleepy tomorrow if you don't sleep soon."

At night, I had always practised manipulating magical power on the bed before going to sleep. Since I had a gut feeling it would work well today for some reason, I tried to fire myself up a little; but Maria thinks I should sleep.

"That's right. If I don't sleep soon, there'll be many embarrassing situations."

"Oh my, dear, Nicole is watching."

"If it's this much, she won't mind, right?"

While carrying Maria in his arms to the Double-Size bed near the baby crib, Lyell let out soft nothings. Bastards, you're planning to do that while I was sleeping? Since it's come to this, of course I won't fall asleep first at any cost. Couples should go die; no mercy.

So, I made up my mind to not sleep first—when I came to, it was already morning. At that time, I had realised that my infant body couldn't even stay up late at night.

Since my reincarnation as a baby, I've been feeling depressed from the disadvantages of an infantile body. However, now, I'm shedding tears because I'm able to reap the benefits of this body. A paradise was now spreading out before my eyes. I'm a baby now; and a girl too. Because of which, women won't mind exposing their skin defenselessly. Right before my eyes, Maria and an elf girl, our new maid, are removing their clothes and smiling to each other while praising each other's figures.

At first, Lyell, who was less capable of doing housework, tried his best to help Maria one way or another, whose physical strength weakened after giving birth. This was short-lived since he couldn't use his sword-wielding talents for housework; he'd repeatedly make mistakes. Lyell broke plates on several occasions. One time, he even tried to feed me milk which he had heated to boiling point—I felt my life was in danger. Thankfully, Maria, who had witnessed it, quickly stopped him and hired a maid who could babysit.

With this, Maria could feel relieved. The maid was an elf girl whose age was approximately 15. It was odd for a beautiful girl such as her to willingly act as a maid in such a remote region. For some reason her face gives me déjà vu. I wonder if I'd met her somewhere. But I shouldn't have been acquainted with a young girl—wait, it makes me sad to say it myself.

When being held in the bosom of this slender, beautiful girl, you could say that there are no words to describe the sensation because you'll become swaddled in felicity. She possesses the aura of a fairy which is neater and purer than the voluptuous Maria, and that fits my taste.

And now, in front of my eyes, she and Maria are taking off their clothes, revealing their naked bodies, thoroughly. This was to give me a bath. Good job3, Lyell, for purchasing a house with a bath! In my heart I clenched my fists. Normally, I'd bare feelings of rivalry towards Lyell and rarely gave him praises.

"Maria-sama, your figure is nice."

"Ah, is that so? I gave birth to Nicole, you know? I've been feeling that it stretched a bit."

"There are no such marks at all!"

In my previous life, I dared trying to peek at Maria's naked body but failed. Right now, she's exposing her body before my eyes. At that time, I was completely thwarted by Cortina's defensive position. After which, I was found out by Maria, and received a torture named Sermon.

I should have been more wary of Maxwell who nonchalantly brought up that subject but didn't take part in it. Before we knew it, it was already too late. Lyell and I were in the peeping plan, executed it, and failed spectacularly.

Maria's naked body that was such a matter of difficulty at the time, now, defenseless… What in the world was the hardship at the time? The accompanying girl also has a wonderful naked body in a different way from Maria's. If Maria's charm lay in her voluptuous adult woman body, then as for the girl, I'd say it's her fairy-esque beauty. Her sex appeal was somewhat low, but she possessed a delicate body almost as if it were a work of art. Her places, which frankly don't appeal as much as her moderate-sized chest4 , her slender waist and so on, perfectly fit my tastes. Speaking of which, Cortina also had a slender figure.

…Fuehehe, a feast for the eyes.

I clasp my small hands while sitting on the floor and shed many tears. I can't secure my field of vision because the tears blur it despite the scene I wanted to see so much.

No way, did they hear my thoughts? The elf girl came up to me and looked into my eyes while leaning her body forward. This is bad, her pose is too stimulating—especially for me who wasn't very popular with women in my previous life. This scene might make my nose bleed. In a hurry, I avert my eyes towards Maria. I feel guilty because she's Lyell's wife, but it's still better than looking up at this innocent girl from her feet.

"Nicole-sama, you've been looking at Maria-sama's chest for quite some time."

"Oh? But Nicole doesn't want to suck my breasts and…"

"Perhaps she's not hungry, but rather envious of the size."

"Nicole has my blood, so I'm sure her chest will get big too!"5

Right, I have a female body now. The sight before my eyes—in particular, Maria's figure—is a reflection of my future self. My excitement collapsed all at once…alas.

Before I died, Maria was engaged in missionary work at a remote church.

The three countries that had been completely decimated by the evil dragon, Colchis, did not reclaim their individual sovereignty. Instead, the remaining countries had integrated the three countries into one, and they tried to make the five of us govern the combined country.

Of course, we each were indifferent to power. Fortunately, one of the three country bodies confirmed that a boy who was a scion of royal blood had survived; so we gave the boy the seat to the throne, provided surviving aristocrats to assist him, and threw away the National Reconstruction. However, we weren't as heartless as to shirk our obligations. If we were asked for relief from them, we were ready to swiftly lend assistance.

Although Maxwell didn't remain with us in this country as he had an elven country to return to, the five of us could handle most situations without him. Furthermore, problems which required our united effort didn't often exist. My visit to the orphanage which brought about my death was one of these rare circumstances.

But, it's different now: Cortina, who was shocked by my death, left from this place; Maria had given birth—the Heroes had nearly faded. In the meantime, the boy king narrowly reorganised sovereignty. With that, Lyell and Maria were able to retire without anxiety. Beyond all expectations, it seemed that the king was a capable boy. In other words, Lyell and co. were able to enjoy a very humdrum seclusion without knowing my feelings.

Brace your legs, me! If I can't stand up here, now, then when will I!?

Just now, I clung to my baby crib's bars, desperately and trying to stand up while my legs trembled: *wobble wobble*. This is the result of my Spartan6 exercise; I even smoothly skipped crawling.

Maria can't babysit me all the time. Just now, she went out to purchase food. In her stead, the maid's looking after me. But this girl, too, is washing my diapers right now—I'm alone. She's taking her eyes off the baby. As a babysitter, she isn't very praiseworthy. But I'm thankful now because I want to be able to walk while I have the chance with no-one watching.

"Aua–a, nua–a!"

Putting in my spirit and letting out a yell, I braced my feet and stood erect. Almost a year had already passed since I was born into this world. Hitherto, crawling was all I could manage; I still couldn't stand. I'm slightly late compared to ordinary babies. Notwithstanding the muscle-building I began from a far earlier stage than normal babies, it was all but worthless.

This and that was also due to my unbalanced diet. Since my birth, I've continually refused to drink Maria's milk, stubbornly. My body was extremely weak and my growth was slightly late, too. Thanks to frequently succumbing to a fever, I made my parents worry. I'm sorry for making you worry. That Lyell FUCK, he doesn't matter, but to make Maria worry, my heart aches. When my physical condition finally began to stabilise, Maria was able to take her eyes off me with an easy mind.

Putting that aside, there's no mistake that right now is one of the few times when I'm not being observed by others. Tottering, but somehow or other, I succeeded to stand erect so I threw up my small arms and raised a shout of joy!

"Dauuu!"

But, this is just my first step, literally, because from here, I have various missions awaiting me. First of all, I'll need to go to Maria's private room and read a copious amount of her grimoires, scriptures, and others to study magic. It's been half a year after sensing my magical power and I still haven't succeeded in manipulating it. There may be faults in my training regime. There may also be problems with my magical aptitude, too. I must find some way of examining those. In order to achieve this, I totter along the edge of my baby crib, beginning my supported walking practise.


	7. Reincarnation of the Hero (PT 4)

Babies have keener ears than what the adults imagine. I caught the sound of footsteps passing along the corridor—in an instant I laid down on the bed and pretended to be asleep. Soon after, the door opened and the elf girl peeked inside. It's possible she had finished hanging the laundry and came back to check on me.

Although I'm very grateful to her for babysitting me, I'd like it if she left me alone a little more. But, her timing may not have been bad; I toddled along, holding the bars for only thirty minutes but my feet had begun to tremble in pain.

"Fufu. You sleep so often, Nicole-sama."

The elf girl walked up to me and inspected my sleeping face. Of course I was pretending to be asleep, but there was no way for this girl to know that. Come to think of it, what was her name? It was fine that Maria hired her, but she didn't even introduce this girl to me—wait, it might be a little funny to introduce people to a baby who can't understand the words, but… commonly, shouldn't you introduce the new employee to everyone? She may not look like it, but Maria is a natural airhead, so it can't be helped. I have a feeling I've somehow seen this elf girl, but it's unclear when and where.

The girl gently poked my cheek *puni puni* and was satisfied with how it felt. They may be small, but my cheeks feel like the bosom of an angel. And what annoys me is that Lyell has been the most captivated by the texture of my cheeks; he always pokes me every chance he gets. I wonder if this girl was just trying to mimic the same thing Lyell does.

As I continued pretending to sleep, the girl turned her head, confirming that there was no one around. Of course, right now there was no one else in the mansion except the two of us. Despite being aware of this, she ridiculously repeated such a gesture. Confident that we were alone, she gently kissed my cheek and rushed out of the room, leaving only the swift reverberations of her footsteps, *tap tap tap*.

I wondered why she ran away, but… come to think of it, to kiss the cheek of her employer's daughter; she might be a failure as a maid. Because I'm a man—mentally a man—of course I'd be extremely elated that that beautiful elf girl had shown affection towards me, but…

Ever since that day, I have and will continue training until I'm able to walk on my own; one way or another. Aside from that, there's another thing that babies around my age should be able to do. I've made up my mind to show that today in front of my parents.

"Maria, I'm home."

In a somewhat dull voice, Lyell has returned to the mansion. Lyell was employed as a knight by the lord who governs this district. The monsters' propagation has been exceptionally extreme in this district as a result of the evil dragon's devastations. In order to maintain security, his skill was needed. In exchange for his assistance, he was provided a mansion and fixed wages.

Maria, who was currently making a meal in the kitchen, excitedly went to the front doors to welcome Lyell. I was witnessing the situation from the living room. Suddenly, the elf girl picked me up and, too, headed to the front doors—even though she ought to have assisted with Maria's cooking.

"Dauu?"

"Nicole-sama, let's go welcome Lyell-sama."

*smile*

Like the blooming of a flower, she radiantly smiled at me. The smile had put me at a loss for words in spite of myself—no, I couldn't talk.

"Oh, Nicole, you'll welcome me, too? Thank you, Finia, for your hard work."

"No! I still can't handle work! I only give Maria-sama trouble."

"That's not true. I'm grateful that you're here, Finia."

So, this girl's name is Finia. I'll keep that in mind. And yet, somehow the heartwarming atmosphere is faltering—if I do nothing, at this rate, my momentous decision will fall through. Before that, I have to bring back the atmosphere. Deciding so, I strained my face.

"Maa—ma."

"Eh!?"

Thus, I squeezed my voice out of my throat and called Maria "Mama". Maria looked so surprised at that voice of mine. It may be rare, in fact, that she expressed such surprise.

"Nicole, just now… were you calling me Mama?"

"Maama."

"Aah, Lyell! Our child! Nicole…!"

"Nicole, how about me? It's Papa, Papaa."

"Lyell-sama, close, you're too close."

Lyell approached Finia's chest and put his sweaty face next to mine. This bastard is already over thirty. It's really sultry. Moreover, don't get the wrong idea. I hate you, so….

"Pi—…niaa."

"Aah, did you hear, Maria-sama? Just now, Nicole-sama… said my name!"

"Yes, I heard it firmly! This girl said your name first, Finia."

Speaking of which, have I still not said Maria's name? This may have been failure. Let's make up for this mistake immediately.

"Maari, aa—, Maama."

"Right! You remembered my name, too. What a smart girl!"

Maria was pleased and overcome with emotion. To be honest, she'd always gently smiled on any other occasion and rarely expressed her feelings up until this point. As expected, the growth of true children is probably different. Who I am inside is me, but—

"Nicole, how about my name? Please say Lyell."

"Dau!"

I throwed a slap onto Lyell's sweaty face with my small hand. Of course, calling my slap an attack was ridiculous; it didn't even let out a sound.

"Uuu, Maria… Nicole doesn't want to say my name."

"Because your name is hard to pronounce, she can't just say it out of blue."

It's very unusual for Maria to say so, but I feel a sense of superiority emerging in her expression. Lyell collapsed to his knees at Maria's retort.

"Um, umm. One day, Nicole-sama will say your name, too, Lyell-sama! I'm sure! Really!"

"Ah, are you comforting me? You're such a nice girl, Finia."

"Oh my, are you cheating on me right before my eyes, I wonder?"

"Stop joking! Finia sure is a nice girl, but I can't see her as a target for cheating at all."

"Fufu, of course; I know, Lyell-sama."

Maria comforted Lyell while beating his back. Shortly after, she invited everyone to the dining room to have dinner. Incidentally, the dinner was a bit… No, let's add a postscript that it had become quite luxurious.


End file.
